American Horse

[Ephriam Dickson]

Diane:

In reviewing your website regarding Plains Indians at the Little Big Horn, please note that the Oglala Lakota headman named American Horse (Wasicu Tasunke) was NOT at the Little Big Horn.

American Horse (1840-1908) was a rising young leader among the Loafer Band of Oglala at the Red Cloud Agency during 1876 and was not with the northern or "hostile" Oglala. In fact, it was his cooperation with the U.S. Army in disarming the hostiles as they came in to Red Cloud that earned him government support. The Loafers at Red Cloud were originally under the leadership of Blue Horse (brother of Big Mouth shot by Spotted Tail at the Whetstone Agency). With the rise of American Horse's prominence among the Loafers during the Sioux War of 1876-77, as well as the rise of another Oglala named Three Bears, Blue Horse's leadership was largely eclipsed. By the time the Oglala moved to the Pine Ridge Agency in 1878, the Loafer's split into three seperate bands, including one under American Horse.

Anyway, just a correction to let you know that he was not a LBH participant.

Ephriam

[shatonska]

in the mid seventies another lakota named american horse or (iron plume , maybe) was more famous , he was an hostile and died in the slim buttes fight after lbh , this is the chief enlisted at the lbh fight , he was not related to the younger american horse probably was a minniconjou not an oglala !
waiting for more accurate news !
ciao

[shatonska]

this biography is probably correct except the birth date and maybe other things


American Horse (1840-1876) was a Sioux leader in Red Cloud's War in the 1860s and 1870s which was fought for control of the Bozeman Trail. His capture and death was one in a series of defeats for the Sioux after the Battle of the Little Bighorn and foreshadowed the Sioux surrender in 1877.

American Horse was one of the Lakota leaders during the Indian wars of the 1860s and 1870s. He is perhaps best remembered for his death at Slim Buttes, in revenge for the defeat of George Armstrong Custer and the U.S. Seventh Cavalry at Little Big Horn. He was known among his people as Iron Shield, but also was thought to be called Iron Plume according to newspapermen who reported on the Indian wars. He was often confused with the younger American Horse ["Wasechun-tashunka"], the son of Sitting Bear. The younger American Horse was active in the Ghost Dance Movement of 1889, well after the elder American Horse died, and was a member of the True Oglala, also called the Bear People.

[Ephriam Dickson]

During the 1870's, there were several Lakota and Northern Cheyenne named American Horse. George Hyde was incorrect in referring to the Oglala by this name as American Horse (the Younger) and the individual killed at Slim Buttes as American Horse (the elder). They were not related; nor were they ever referred to this way by their own people. Unfortunately, historians have continued to contribute to this confusion since 1876!

The Oglala American Horse (1840-1908) did participate as a young Bad Face warrior in Red Cloud's war in the late 1860's. In fact, later in life, he claimed to have personally killed Lieut. Fetterman and his war club which he used is now on exhibit at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. He was made a "shirt wearer" along with Crazy Horse, Sword and Young Man Afraid of His Horses. However, by the 1870's, American Horse was a rising young leader among the progressive band, the Wagluhe or Loafers (probably by marriage) and no longer fighting the whites. Your brief summary of the man killed at Slim Buttes is a mixture of several different people.

The original source for the man's name killed at Slim Buttes was scout Frank Grouard. However, natives present at the battle say that Grouard was incorrect, that the man's name was Iron Plume and that he was not a prominent leader; rather, he is described as a brave individual. We actually know virtually nothing about his background.

He Dog: "I was in Slim Buttes fight... The tribe massacred there were Minneconjou, who were out deer hunting. No chief was killed here. The man wounded in bowels and died here was not a chief. He was a Sans Arc relative of mine." (Camp Interview)

American Horse (Oglala), when asked about the man killed at Slim Buttes: "There are only two American Horses and both are living, himself being one. The other lives below the battlefield on Wounded Knee and is a brother to Woman's Dress. He says there was never an American Horse killed." (Ricker Interview)

There was a headman among the Two Kettle Lakota named American Horse (born about 1836) who according to records at the Cheyenne River Agency left there on May 21, 1877. Apparently not at LBH.

There was also a Northern Cheyenne named American Horse who later surrendered at the Red Cloud Agency and was transferred to Indian Territory with other Cheyennes in May 1877.

I think for the list of LBH participants, there should be an entry for Iron Plume, though we are not certain that he was actually at LBH. A number of Minneconjou and Sans Arcs fled from the Cheyenne River Agency in the fall of 1876 when the military was preparing to disarm them and remove their ponies. There were many of these kinds of people in the Roman Nose village at Slim Buttes in September 1876. That does not necessarily mean they were at the LBH as well.

Anyway, I just wanted to help try to clarify the confusion about the several individuals named American Horse and to contribute that the Oglala individual by this name was NOT at the Little Big Horn.

Ephriam

[shatonska]

thanks

[Diane Merkel]

Thank you both for all of the great information. I removed two "American Horse" listings. I made a new listing for Iron Plume and included in that the information given for the Minneconjou "American Horse," and listed his role at LBH as unknown.

Please let me know if other changes are needed. I want our online records to be as accurate as possible.

Diane

[Ephriam Dickson]

In the Eleanor Hinman interviews, He Dog's brother Short Bull said the following about the issue of American Horse versus Iron Plume:

"Our next fight was the Slim Buttes fight... [Here the interpreter, John Colhoff, put in a word, saying that he had read in a book that the chief American Horse was mortally wounded and taken prisoner in this battle; but that was a mistake. American Horse was not taken prisoner in this battle; neither did he die of wounds received there. Short Buffalo confirmed the younger man in this. Asked who the man was who was shot through the intestines while concealed in the sand-pit, and who died that night and was left for the Indians to bury, Short Buffalo replied:]

"Iron Plume was the man shot in the sand pit. There were women in that pit too. Iron Plume didn't give up until he was too badly wounded to live. It was Iron Plume, not American Horse..."

Ephriam

[eamonn]

American Horse testified before congress during the investigative process following upon wounded knee. as a result of his testimony approximately 18 congressional medals of honour were awarded to participants. This particuolar American Horse was 'progressive' and although acknowledged as a chief his headstone does not bear that title. Red Cloud and American Horse were enemies and although you may see a few photographs of them together you will note that no eye contact is made!

[Diane Merkel]

Charlie asked me to post this:

I have found this old post card. On the back is written: "American Horse (also named Iron Plume) Oglala chief, son of chief Smoke, died in 1876 at Slim Buttes". I have never seen images of him. He resembles American Horse the younger; maybe the notes of the card are wrong? To which band of the Oglala (or Minneconjou) did Iron Plume (aka American Horse elder) belong? Thanks to every Sioux "expert"!

[grahamew]

It's American Horse (of the Loafer band) not Iron Plume.

[charlie]

Then, the label of my post card is wrong!!! The credits are: Western History Collections - OK Library - Rinehart. Can anyone tell me if exsist a real image of IRON PLUME (MAZA WAHACANKA) died at Slim Buttes? He was or not son of Oglala chief SMOKE? Or he was a Minneconjou? And at which band (Oglala or Minneconjou) belonged him? Thank you for the answers.

[jinlian]

Hello everybody,

I've reached this forum (btw, congratulations for all the interesting discussions, very enriching and challenging indeed!) while looking for information about the Oglala chief American Horse (1840-1908) . I've been trying to get an article published on Annals of Wyoming (Belish, "American Horse (Wasechun-Tashunka): The Man Who Killed Fetterman"), but I'm having some difficulties in getting it, as I'm not based in the US. I'd like then to ask some questions about this Indian chief here, hoping not to be too off topic:

1. Has anybody more information about the possibility of American Horse being married to a daughter of Red Cloud (Oglala)?
The only sources which would confirm this are E. S. Ricker "Voices of the American West" and comments written on an old picture and a cabinet card.

2. American Horse's family had kept a wintercount which American Horse himself copied on a sketchbook now kept at the Smithsonian Institute in 1879. The Smithsonian copy obviously ended with the year 1878; does anybody know if American Horse kept writing his winter count in the following years?

3. Has anybody any information about the real name and parentage of "Sioux Jim", the Oglala killed by American Horse in 1876?

Thanks to everyone for your time and your attention!

[Dietmar]

jinlian,

welcome, I´m glad you found this forum. Where are you from?

I know some books which mention American Horse married to Red Cloud´s daughter, but they all seem to cite the Ricker interviews.

If my sources are correct, American Horse´s winter-count was begun by his grandfather in 1775/76 and later was continued by his father Sitting Bear. Army surgeon Dr. William H. Corbousier collected several winter-counts from November 1879 to April 1880 (American Horse, Cloud Shield, White Cow Killer) at Pine Ridge Reservation. I assume this is the reason why all of these winter-counts ended around the year 1879/89.

I think it was Ephriam here on this board who stated that Sioux Jim was a brother of Little Big Man.

to Charlie:

Several books rate American Horse as a Southern Oglala. Richard Hardorff is one of these authors. According to him American Horse, nicknamed Spider, succeeded his father as band leader of the True Oglalas and was elected shirt-wearer in 1868. Further he said that AH married Red Cloud´s daughter and joined latter in 1871 to become a reservation band chief.
Interestingly Sitting Bear in his younger days was also named American Horse.
Hardorff made another statement about the second American Horse, who was a leader of a “wild band” of Northern Oglalas. He was a son of Old Smoke.
Neither he nor the other American Horse were at Slim Buttes.

Catherine Price wrote that True Oglalas who once followed the itancan Bad Wound later chose Sitting Bear and American Horse as their leaders.

That´s all I have for now.

Best wishes

Dietmar

[Dietmar]

here´s American Horse with his wife/one of his wives...

[jinlian]

Hello Dietmar and thanks for your warm welcome, as well for all the info (I'm based in Italy, btw)

If we have to give credit to C.Eastman's statements in "Indian Heroes and Great Chieftains" , AH's father (which would have been Sitting Bear - we know his name thanks to the winter count's entry of the year 1839-40 "Sitting-Bear, American Horse's father, and others, stole two hundred horses from the Flatheads") "was killed in battle while he was still very young". Eastman goes on stating that "The American Horse band was closely attached to a trading post, and its members in consequence were inclined to be friendly with the whites, a policy closely adhered to by their leader." (a description which would fit the Wagluhe band). Eastman was well acquainted with AH, which would make him a reliable source, but then he falls into inconsistencies as identifying the warrior killed at Slim Buttes (Iron Plume)with someone sharing AH's name and being his uncle.

Interestingly enough, in the Ricker interview AH stated that there was only another AH other than him, and that it was Woman's Dress' brother (which would make him the grandson of Chief Smoke), while "there was never an AH killed".

About the notion of AH being married to Red Cloud's daughter: here's the comment about the following image recently sold at an auction:

"American Horse, married to a daughter of the war chief Red Cloud, was a chief of the Bad Face (Ite Sica) band of Oglala, later called the Loafer (Wagluhe) band. He was also elevated to the position of an Ongloge Un or Shirt Wearer, one of the four leading chiefs of the Oglala. The deerskin garment which signaled this honor, trimmed with beaded bands and locks of human hair, is displayed atop the posing stand at left... American Horse died Dec. 16, 1908, at the age of 68."

Here's the image:



Another picture that would confirm the existence of a family connection between AH and Red Cloud is the one below, where AH poses with some members of his family:




The house on the background is clearly Red Cloud's (it was the only 2 store house at Pine Ridge in those days). Why would AH pose in front of Red Cloud's house if there wasn't any family connection between them?

Thanks for the information about "Sioux Jim"being Little Big Man's brother. I suppose there's no way to find out what was the guy's real name...On the other hand, AH'descendants might know something about the original winter count and if there had been other entries following the 1878 one.

Thanks again,

J.

(I'm sorry for the low resolution of the images, but that's the best image hosting service I could find. ). Anyway, I managed to give a better view of the first one.